Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Stan Williams passed away Saturday morning at the age of 84 after battling a cardiopulmonary illness. He signed with the organization as an amateur free agent in 1954 and made his MLB debut four years later.
Williams was part of the Dodgers team that moved from Brooklyn to L.A. in 1958. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the organization and won his only World Series as a player in 1959.
Williams played a big role in helping the Dodgers advance to the Fall Classic that year, tossing three scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Braves in a tie-breaker series. He went on to pitch two scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox in Game 5 of the World Series.
Williams built off that postseason success with an excellent 1960 campaign, compiling a 14-10 record, 3.00 ERA, 3.58 FIP and 1.13 WHIP in 207.1 innings, registering 175 strikeouts against 72 walks across 38 games and 30 starts.
Following the 1962 season, the Dodgers traded Williams to the New York Yankees for Bill Skowron. After a two-year stint in the Bronx, the right-hander was purchased by the Cleveland Indians prior to the 1965 season.
Williams enjoyed a four-year stay in Cleveland before wrapping up his career with the Minnesota Twins (1970-71), St. Louis Cardinals (1971) and Boston Red Sox (1972). He was particularly effective with the Twins during the 1970 season, posting a career-best 1.99 ERA in 68 relief appearances.
After his playing career, Williams served as a pitching coach for several teams. He held the role for the Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, but it was with the latter in which he won his second and final World Series in 1990.
More recently, he was a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals until retiring from baseball in 2010.
Notable Dodgers, MLB deaths in 2021
Hope that 2021 would bring about better times has been washed away for the Dodgers and MLB. L.A. has already lost two icons this year in Tommy Lasorda and Don Sutton, while Braves legend Hank Aaron passed away last month.
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